OFFROAD ADVENTURES

 

OFFROAD ADVENTURE: WEST TEXAS.

The Powerwagon was in her element, bouncing down the rough trail, handling every turn, rock, or sand pit with ease. The desert seemed to go on forever. When we saw the twisted black mountain rising from the desert floor, we new we had to try the faint trail that ribboned to the top. Our pulses accelerated as the 318 modified engine screamed, tilting us sickeningly backwards as the angle increased. Nearly all we could see was sky over the truck's nose. For several frightening seconds, the powerwagon slid sideways on bare slippery rock near the cliff's edge. But then she got traction again and on we went. Rocks and dust flew as the powerwagon defied gravity, pushing her massive weight up the steep incline. Finally, we reached the precipice. The powerwagon had taken us here, to this glorious secluded place. We had a fantastic 360 degree view, with El Paso stretching like a whore on a dirty bed to the west, red sands rolling away in ochre dunes to the north, and brown, grey and scrub green desert to the east and south. A warm wind whispered around us and the powerwagon. Gradually the shadows grew longer and the sky exploded in sunset colours of watermelon pink and violet. The searing heat finally began to ebb. Then millions of stars began to shine, uninhibited by city pollution, clear and sparkling at our high elevation. The constellations were amazing. But now, it was time to go home. The powerwagon roared down the mountain, her driving lights cutting a bright beam through the dust she spat up. She had taken us there....

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OFFROAD ADVENTURE: GREAT SAND DUNES MONUMENT, COLORADO.

We had driven far into the high plains of Colorado, and even the fine-tuned Powerwagon had eaten most of her gas. Towering snow-capped mountains loomed sometimes near the road, sometimes very far, lost in the misty clouds. They promised off-road adventure and excitement, but today, we looked for something else. We sought one of the great American oddities, the Great Sand Dunes National Monument, Colorado. Soon, the park came into view. Pure, towering sand dunes, up to 700 feet tall sprouted from the plains floor. It was a sharp contrast to the green, grassy Colorado landscape! We immediately parked the Powerwagon outside the crowded visitor center and hopped inside to check out the off-road information. On the back observatory artists and artist-wanna bes had charcoal and sketch pads out and were busy trying to duplicate the sand structures. We felt the need to get away from this tourist trap, so found information on the off-road trail. There were several warnings and etc that we ignored. The Powerwagon had never let us down. Then, we were off! The Powerwagon roared to life and bounced us down the trail. Soon, we were out of the grass and trees along the tiny stream near the visitor center and on the dunes! A light rain began to fall, and we kicked up globs of mud and rolled easily over ditch and hill. Suddenly, a particularly deep, narrow wash opened up before us. The powerwagon took it too slow, and just her front tires smashed in, leaving the rest of her high and dry. We tapped the gas, but the now-wet Colorado slime was so slippery, we had no traction. We stopped the truck to survey the situation. While stopped, we made cold sandwhiches and had a picnic. A wild deer pranced by very close, her brown eyes staring at us curiously. The wind, blowing from the snowy mountains, had grown cold. We decided it was time to go. Taking the rubber floormats from inside the Powerwagon, we dug a bit of mud from under the front wheels and shoved the mats under them. That was all we needed. The Powerwagon screamed up the wash and made it to more stable ground with ease. I was tempted to leave the muddy mats behind! We rolled around the hills a few more hours, stopping for a moment to enjoy the wondrous sight of a rainbow over the gigantic dunes. It was a glorious day.